India discard Shikhar Dhawan to lead DDCA in Moin-ud-Dowla tourney

India discard Shikhar Dhawan will lead the DDCA team in the Moin-ud-Dowla Gold Cup cricket tournament in Hyderabad, next month.

Glovesman Puneet Bisht will be Dhawan’s deputy and the team will play its first match against Goa from September 6-8.

This will be chief coach Vijay Dahiya’s first assignment after being reinstated at the helm. Last year’s coach Sanjeev Sharma will remain as Dahiya’s understudy.

The squad for the pre-season tournament also has veteran leg-spinner Chetanya Nanda. Nanda, who played last of his 31 first-class games back in 2010 has recuperated successfully from a surgery and has been a regular feature in the club circuit during current season.

The dearth of leg-break bowlers in Delhi prompted Chetan Chauhan led selection committee to again try out the nearly 34 year old spinner. All-rounder Sumit Narwal and Pawan Suyal, both of whom missed the last season due to injuries are also in the squad. Mithun Manhas and Ashish Nehra aren’t playing this tournament. (PTI)